Congress Chapter 12 The Representatives and Senators The

Congress Chapter 12

The Representatives and Senators • The Job – Salary of $158, 100 with retirement benefits – Office space in D. C. and at home and staff to fill it. – Travel allowances and franking privileges. – Often requires 10 to 14 hour days, lots of time away from the family, and lots of pressure from different people to “do the right thing. ”

Congressional Elections • Who Wins Elections? – Incumbent: Those already holding office. Figure 12. 1

Congressional Elections • The Advantages of Incumbents – Advertising: • The goal is to be visible to your voters. • Frequent trips home & newsletters are used. – Credit Claiming: • Service to individuals in their district. • Casework: specifically helping constituents get what they think they have a right to. • Pork Barrel: federal projects, grants, etc. made available in a congressional district or state.

Congressional Elections • The Advantages of Incumbents – Position Taking: • Portray themselves as hard working, dedicated individuals. • Occasionally take a partisan stand on an issue. – Weak Opponents: • Most opponents are inexperienced in politics. • Most opponents are unorganized and underfunded. – Campaign Spending: • Challengers need to raise large sums to defeat an incumbent. • PACs give most of their money to incumbents. • Does PAC money “buy” votes in Congress?

Congressional Elections • The Role of Party Identification – Most members represent the majority party in their district. • Defeating Incumbents – Some incumbents face problems after a scandal or other complication in office. – They may face redistricting. – They may become a victim of a major political tidal wave.

Congressional Elections • Open Seats – Greater likelihood of competition. • Stability and Change – Incumbents provide stability in Congress. – Change in Congress occurs less frequently through elections. – Are term limits an answer?

How Congress is Organized to Make Policy l. American Bicameralism –Bicameral: Legislature divided into two houses. • The House • The Senate – 435 members, 2 year terms of office. – Initiates all revenue bills, more influential on budget. – House Rules Committee – Limited debates. – 100 members, 6 year terms of office. – Gives “advice & consent”, more influential on foreign affairs. – Unlimited debates. (filibuster) From Table 12. 3

How Congress is Organized to Make Policy l. Congressional l Leadership The House l The Senate – Lead by Speaker of the – Formerly lead by Vice House - elected by House members. – Presides over House. – Major role in committee assignments and legislation. – Assisted by majority leader and whips. President. – Really lead by Majority Leader- chosen by party members. – Assisted by whips. – Must work with Minority leader.

How Congress is Organized to Make Policy • The Committees and Subcommittees – Four types of committees: • Standing committees: subject matter committees handle different policy areas. • Joint committees: few policy areas- made up of House & Senate members. • Conference committees: resolve differences in House and Senate bills. • Select committees: created for a specific purpose.

How Congress is Organized to Make Policy • The Committees and Subcommittees – The Committees at Work: Legislation and Oversight • Committees work on the 11, 000 bills every session. • Some hold hearings and “mark up” meetings. • Oversight involves hearings and other methods of checking the actions of the executive branch. • As the size of government grows, oversight grows too.

How Congress is Organized to Make Policy • The Committees and Subcommittees – Getting on a Committee • Members want committee assignments that will help them get reelected, gain influence, and make policy. • New members express their committee preferences to the party leaders. • Support of the party is important in getting on the right committee. • Parties try to grant committee preferences.

How Congress is Organized to Make Policy • The Committees and Subcommittees – Getting Ahead on the Committee: Chairs and the Seniority System. • The chair is the most important position for controlling legislation. • Chairs were once chosen strictly by the seniority system. • Now seniority is a general rule, and members may choose the chair of their committee.

How Congress is Organized to Make Policy • Caucuses: The Informal Organization of Congress – Caucus: A group of members of Congress sharing some interest or characteristic. – Caucuses pressure for committee meetings and hearings and for votes on bills. – Caucuses can be more effective than lobbyists.

How Congress is Organized to Make Policy • Congressional Staff – Personal staff: Work for the member. Mainly providing constituent service, but help with legislation too. – Committee staff: organize hearings, research & write legislation, target of lobbyists. – Staff Agencies: CRS, GAO, CBO provide specific information to Congress.

The Congressional Process • Legislation: – Bill: A proposed law. – Anyone can draft a bill, but only members of Congress can introduce them. – More rules in the House than in the Senate. – Party leaders play a vital role in steering bills through both houses, but less in the Senate. – Countless influences on the legislative process.

The Congressional Process • How a Bill Becomes a Law (Figure 12. 2)

The Congressional Process • Presidents and Congress: Partners and Protagonists – Presidents have many resources to influence Congress (often called the “Chief Legislator”). – In order to “win” in Congress, the president must win several battles in each house. – Presidential leadership of Congress is at the margins and is most effective as a facilitator.

The Congressional Process • Party, Constituency, and Ideology – Party Influence: Party leaders cannot force party members to vote a particular way, but many do vote along party lines. – Constituency versus Ideology: Most constituents are uninformed about their member. It is difficult for constituents to influence their member, but on controversial issues members can not ignore constituents.

The Congressional Process • Lobbyists and Interest Groups – There are several thousand lobbyists trying to influence Congress - the bigger the issue, the more lobbyists will be working on it. – Lobbyists can be ignored, shunned and even regulated by Congress. – Ultimately, it is a combination of lobbyists and others that influence members of Congress.

Understanding Congress • Congress and Democracy – Leadership and committee assignments are not representative. – Congress does try to respond to what the people want, but some argue it could do a better job. – Members of Congress are responsive to the people, if the people make clear what they want.

Understanding Congress • Congress and Democracy – Representation versus Effectiveness • Congress is responsive to so many interests that policy is uncoordinated, fragmented, and decentralized. • Congress is so representative that it is incapable of taking decisive action to deal with difficult problems. • Defenders argue because Congress is decentralized, there is no oligarchy to prevent comprehensive action.

Understanding Congress • Congress and the Scope of Government – The more policies Congress works on, the more ways they can serve their constituencies. – The more programs that get created, the bigger government gets. – Everybody wants government programs cut, just not their programs.